Artist's community portrait will unite Wisbech

A professional artist is uniting the community of Wisbech - with a large scale portrait involving up to 10,000 residents.

Tim Mann is well known for his collaborative 'Crowded Room' artworks, which see the outlines of volunteers' bodies drawn on to a huge canvas to create a single image of a community.

He has delivered the project in locations across the UK and Ireland, with his biggest and most recent in Stamford last year involving more than 6,200 people.

Now Tim is hoping to beat his record with his new Crowded Room Wisbech project by involving up to 10,000 residents!

"My ambition is to celebrate each individual in Wisbech and their place within their richly diverse town with my largest project to date," he said.

"The Crowded Room project is a truly collaborative process and the objective is to encourage and enable those who live, work or study in Wisbech, as well as visitors to the town, to get involved."

"It is always a fascinating experience," he added. "A simple outline of one body is not very interesting to look at, but when you have the accumulation of thousands on one canvas it's very powerful. It demonstrates that whilst each participant is different, in terms of appearance and character, as humans we are all integral to the world and are fundamentally all the same."

Tim and his team will be creating the portrait, and other complementary works, in various locations in and around Wisbech throughout October, and an exhibition to showcase the work will be launched at the Wisbech and Fenland Museum in November.

A large number of schools and organisations have already committed to get involved with the project but Tim is hoping to engage with many more to make the artwork a truly inclusive piece.

Fenland District Council is among those championing the project, along with the Wisbech and Fenland Museum, the Rosmini Centre, the Octavia Hill Birthplace Museum Trust and the Wisbech Community Development Trust.

Councillor Michelle Tanfield, portfolio holder for leisure, young people and tourism, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a living work of art which highlights the importance of every participant as an individual within the Wisbech community. The final portrait will be a unique picture, which will tell a story about a moment in time within Wisbech."

"The project will also bring the community together which is something we are working hard with our partners to achieve through the Wisbech 2020 Vision."

The project also plans to deliver workshops as part of the project, to encourage participants to try different art practices, learn more about Tim and his work, and to develop a better understanding of their place within the community.

For more information about Crowded Room Wisbech and how to get involved contact Tim on 07400 623699 or his project manager Jenny Ward on 07752 878587, or email them at: admin@timmannartist.com

You can also keep up-to-date with portrait locations and workshop venues by following Fenland District Council on Twitter @FenlandCouncil and on Facebook.